For motorists, commuting on the Necklace Road has always been a pleasure. With the newly laid and pothole-free Vaccum Dewatered Cement Concrete (VDCC) road from Imax rotary to Sailing club, motorists are now enjoying the trip more in the picturesque atmosphere (Buddha Bhavan).

In addition, an exclusive cycling track with 1.5 km of space has been built on both sides along the entire 6 km stretch. In terms of enhancing a smooth ride, the purpose of the VDCC road is to prevent stagnation of rainwater and ensure road longevity.

VDCC Road at Necklace Road

The HMDA has undertaken the beautification and construction of the entire Necklace Road at the cost of Rs 26 crore. Even though VDCC road works have been completed and the stretch has been open to traffic for the last few days, the work on the pavement and lighting is progressing.

An outstanding element of these works is that the bulk of the works were taken up and completed during the lockdown era of Covid-19. The replacement of the conventional bitumen road with VDCC road assistance improves longevity and ensures that there are no potholes or rough surfaces on the stretch.

As the stretch was damaged at many locations, HMDA took up the road works, and water stagnation was a significant challenge during the monsoon. Traffic police complained of frequent water stagnation on the stretch and the cascading impact on traffic flow during the rainy season. Taking all these factors into consideration, officials decided to replace the entire 6 km stretch from Imax Rotary to the Sailing Club with the VDCC lane, a senior HMDA official said.

Laying VDCC Road Benefits

Road work with Vaccum Dewatered Cement Concrete (VDCC) includes 

• Vacuum dewatering of concrete
• The method of vacuum dewatering eliminates surplus water present in the concrete and uses vacuum pressure equipment to do so. 
• The dewatering exercise is performed in approximately two minutes per centimetre of road thickness, and the dewatered concrete is then compacted and dried. 
• The whole exercise facilitates the road's intensity and improves its life.

To prevent inconvenience to traffic, the works were carried out in two stages. Work was initially completed on one side of the stretch from the end of the Necklace Road MMTS station to the end of the Sailing Club. Only on the other side of the road was traffic allowed. Similarly, works on the other side were taken up after the works on the first stretch were finished.

Beautification works were also taken up in addition to the main carriageway, some of which were in progress with the remaining works. New ones also replaced the damaged sections on the pavements, sidewalks and kerbs with the central median works completed.

By: Shailaja K